Belle-Ile, where to see Monet's famous Landscapes in French Brittany

Without a doubt, one of the most charismatic places that I have been able to visit during my recent trip to the beautiful region of Brittany, western France, is in the Belle-Ile Island.

The common point of this trip was to discover the corners and landscapes painted by numerous artists who traveled to that French region at the end of the 19th century and during the 20th century in search of inspiration.

One of those artists was impressionistic Manywho in Belle-Ile He painted a series of his most famous works.

It seems that Many I had read a book Flaubert where he mentioned a “wild island” that he had visited.

In search of Monet's footprints on Belle-Ile

Therefore, in search of a place that “moved" Many He traveled in September 1886 to Belle-Ile, an idyllic and quite exclusive island located south of the Brittany region, and to which you can get there by boat from Quiberon.

Many stayed for two days in Le Palais, the main port of the island, but he did not like the place because there were too many people, too many boats and “a strong smell of sardines".

The point is that Many He headed to the southwest of the island, specifically to the village of Kervilaouen. very close to the enclave known as the Great Lighthouse, because at 52 meters high, it is the highest on the island.

From there every day he walked to the coast, in whose cliff landscapes he found that place of inspiration he was looking for.

In a letter addressed to Gustave Caillebotte, Many He said, "I am in a beautiful country of savagery, a pile of tremendous rocks and an incredible sea of ​​colors".

Many I thought I had spent a couple of weeks in bliss brittany island, but finally he stayed for two months.

But what did he find? Many en Belle-Ile?

Port Coton, setting for Monet paintings on Belle-Ile

As I have seen during my visit to Belle-Ile, and specifically to Port Cotton and its surroundings, the French artist was undoubtedly captivated by the beautiful landscapes of cliffs and rocks that seem to emerge from the bottom of the sea, which contain a great variety of scenes.

This southwestern slope of Belle-Ile It has a very steep coast with a rough sea for much of the year, very different from the much calmer and protected northeast coast of the island.

Furthermore, the always very variable climate of Brittany, with days in which in just a few hours you can go from persistent rain and a lot of wind to splendid sunshine, led to the series of paintings that Many he made, which are characterized by their great play of lights and colors.

Specifically, Many painted on Belle-Ile one of his famous series, with up to 39 works, the most famous being those known as “the spiers of port coton".

In these paintings Monet portrayed some rocks that emerge next to the cliffs, and also showed that rough sea with white foam that characterizes this coast of Brittany.

From the great lighthouse, to landscapes of cliffs and rocks

Now during your visit of Belle-Ile, at the entrance, in the square of the aforementioned village of Kervilaouen that bears his name you can see the house where Many resided during those two months.

If you want, you can walk to the Great Lighthouse, just as he did every day, and then you will be able to explore those beautiful cliff landscapes, and it will be easy for you to understand what he could have felt Many.

On your walk along the coast you will discover beautiful corners with landscapes undoubtedly formed by the very strong winds that must hit during much of the year.

This was not my case, because as you can see in the photos, I enjoyed splendid weather, which the truth is that it is not the most common in this area of ​​France.

Photos of Monet landscapes on Belle-Ile

To encourage your visit, here are more photos of the landscapes that Many painted on the cliffs of Belle-Ile.